Orctober: Painting Orcs II

Continuing the "how I paint orcs" topic for Orctober, I am using a slightly different technique than that which I used a few years back, especially when it comes to rusting the armour where I am now using the techniques employed on the ArcWorlde Hobgoblins.

Stage Four:

The Oily Steel over Tin Bitz approach to metalwork is one I pretty much use on all Fantasy, Dark Ages and Medieval armour for rank and file types, to give it a slightly grubby look. With Orcs I now go one stage further as I can't imagine them sitting around the campfire drying and polishing their armour in the evening.

After allowing the metal pigments to thoroughly dry overnight, I apply a wash of brown ink. For rusty effects I use the Flames of War Brown Shade which is browner and warmer than the Army Painter Strong Tone ink. I don't wash it all over the armour, just paint streaks over areas and in recesses.

Stage Five:

I then add some top surface brighter rust by dabbing some bright orange paint in certain areas using a sponge. Normally for this I use a bit of sponge out of a blister back but today used a small piece out of a pack of Woodland Scenics bushes. A certain balance is needed between making the effect noticeable and going OTT so try in moderation as it is easier to add more than it is to try and remove.

Stage Six:

The armour is now pretty much done, so you need to repaint the non-metallic areas with black paint. With the Mantic Orcs is is sometimes unclear whether something is supposed to be cloth/leather or armour (especially across the shoulder blades). This doesn't really matter as long as you are consistent on the miniature. No one is really going to notice in a unit of them.

For the shields (which I dislike but couldn't be bothered to try and remove and replace with sensible round ones) I dabbed some black paint on over the metal and rust to give the impression of a badly worn surface. I have an idea for a basic shield pattern for the units which I will paint on later.